gold forever

[MARILYN IRVETTE WHITBY]

Marilyn liked unicorns. They were quite beautiful to look at and she thought their horn was just wonderful. The colour of unicorns was also a factor in their appearance. Now, unicorns foals, those were just adorable. Her brother had acquired some for a lesson, she knew. So the blonde left the castle and headed towards the forbidden forest. They were kept in an area at the edge of the forest, which was fine by Lynnie. She didn't want to venture too deep into the forest, even if it was daylight. The trees in the forest had been there forever and blocked out all the sunlight.

Lynnie had completed all of her homework and was quite pleased with herself. This was a treat to her. It was Sunday, late afternoon. She was usually free around this time. If she wasn't, it just meant she had a ton of homework and would get no leisure time of her own. While girls were now trying to find dates for the Autumn Gala, Marilyn was perfectly fine in going alone and staying in a corner, watching everyone. At least fourth years could attend. Besides, she looked forward to seeing alumni from every housee.

Reaching the edge of the forest, Lynnie stood at a spot for a while, trying to recall where that particular area was. The tall trees all looked the same. She usually followed everyone when she had a Care of Magical Creatures lesson. Her blue eyes studied the ground, picking a trail that seemed most used. After five minutes or so, Marilyn spotted a wooden fence and grinned happily when she saw two golden unicorn foals. “Oh, hello you beauties.” She said softly, approaching the fence. The blonde stood there, content to just watch them trot about and nibbling at the grass.

300 words, tagged for desmond, wearing this

[DESMOND IGNACIUS STRIKER]

Desmond was quite annoyed at the moment. Despite the beautiful shade that the sky had taken on that day, he found that he had a far more pressing matters on his mind. The Autumn Bash brought with it another tedious social convention, one he could not avoid if he wanted his remaining time at Hogwarts to be bearable. Extravagant dresses. Blaring noises. Drunk students. The excitement can start any time now he thought to himself sarcastically, as he absent-mindedly trod down the rough stone path to the gamekeeper's hut.

Muttering to himself had kept Desmond so busy that be barely glanced up as he walked past the hut, and into the forest. It was not really surprising, since Desmond spent more time there than in his dormitory, and his feet automatically chose the path that would take him past the paddock where most Care of Magical Creatures lessons took place, and deeper into the forest. He felt better when the forest enveloped him, and he spotted bowtruckles, and a few more forest inhabitants busily going about their own order of business.

A sudden mass of yellow caught his attention, and Desmond looked up, startled to catch something in his peripheral vision that did not usually exist in that path. He smiled when he saw a herd of young unicorns in the usually empty paddock. He felt about in his robes for the notebook and pencil that he always carried around, and rapidly sketched a particularly fine specimen, before taking his time to add shades and layers.

Something told Desmond that he was missing something important. He looked up and widened his vision for the first time. There was a blonde girl there, who looked a little younger than him. Heavens knew how long she had been there, probably even before him. He blinked, knowing it was probably rude to just mind his own business. He gave the girl a small smile and said,"Those are some particularly fine unicorns, aren't they? You'll be lucky if they're for your year."

[MARILYN IRVETTE WHITBY]

A unicorn came up to her, neighing as it did so. Lynnie smiled, and reached out to pat it. They were going to learn about them some time soon, the blonde knew. She hadn't brought anything for the magical creatures to eat. She might have read something in her textbook about what they ate, but she couldn't recall it at this moment because someone spoke to her. Lynnie turned around, not aware that someone had joined her. But then again, she was never someone who was aware of her surroundings. She could never become an Auror, not that she had any wish to be.

She smiled back at the male. He was vaguely familiar. Lynnie didn't confess to knowing everyone in Hogwarts. She only knew the names of the more popular students. And her own friends, of course. She couldn't say she knew his name. “I think they are. My brother's the Professor and he told me about them being here. He knows I adore unicorns, especially foals.” Marilyn said. “I'm Marilyn. But you can call me Lynnie.” She told him, waving at him.

The foal that had came up to her trotted off and Lynnie walked over to join the male. She noted the notepad in his hands. “Were you... drawing them?” The blonde asked. She didn't have much of a drawing talent. Well, she like arts and crafts, piecing things together to create unique gifts for her family and friends. But drawing? Not her strong suit.


248 words, tagged for desmond, wearing this

[DESMOND IGNACIUS STRIKER]

Desmond's smile grew a little broader when he saw a unicorn approach their end of the paddock. His father had encouraged him to draw anything that caught his eyes on their travels together, and Desmond had grown quite adept, with his father using large portions of his drawings as illustrations for his books. He had a trunkful of such notebooks in his dormitory, and they were some of his most prized possessions.

Desmond was slightly startled when the girl told him that the Professor was her brother. But it also explained why she was at the clearing. Most students did not wander into the forest without fixed intent, and knowing that the foals were here was one good reason. "I'm Desmond, Ravenclaw sixth year. Nice to meet you," he said and prepared to move on, when he heard her next question.

He broke into a rare grin and turned over the notebook, before holding it out to her. He did not seem to mind this girl so much. Well, maybe because she isn't talking about which couple is fighting, and which brand of alcohol is the rage right now He looked over to the paddock again. "Yes, I've been drawing for quite a while now. Your brother is a really good teacher," he said. It was an honest compliment, and Desmond felt it needed to be said.

[MARILYN IRVETTE WHITBY]

Marilyn had grown quite used to the fact that her brother was a Professor here. It wasn’t as if Wes gave her special treatment. He might enquire more about her and pay a little more attention to her during classes, but that was normal if you had a relative in the class. Right? Marilyn thought so. Desmond was his name. He replied in a very succinct manner, giving the information to her. Okay. The blonde nodded her head. Maybe he was going somewhere. Or wanted to be alone. She could give him his space. Growing up with two sisters had made her know when someone wanted to be left alone.

But he replied to her question on drawing and even held out his book to her. Lynnie noted his grin, before smiling back at him. She took it and admired the sketch. “So lovely.” The blonde said, wondering if she could flip through the other pages. Best not to, unless he told her she could. So she handed it back to him. “Unfortunately I have no drawing skills, certainly not like you.” Lynnie commented. She let out a soft laugh. “Well, I’ll thank you on his behalf. I think it’s because he does love magical creatures, which makes him such a good Professor. And, having three younger sisters helps in preparing him for students who are a pain.”



248 words, tagged for desmond, wearing this

[DESMOND IGNACIUS STRIKER]

Desmond wondered how much longer he should stay. But the fact of the matter was, he had nothing else to do at all, unless he fancied walking into a nest of murderous Acromantula voluntarily. He decided to stay in the enclosure for some time, at least until the sunlight started failing. "Thank you, it just needs practice to be honest. I had to upgrade from stick figurines. You can keep looking if you like, a lot of creatures in there don't usually come up in the Hogwarts books, if I remember correctly," he said.

A lot of people mistook him to be arrogant, but when he made statements like these, he was being absolutely honest. The books actually did not have a large portions of the creatures he drew, because of their habitat and location. I should probably get ready for another labeling, he told himself idly, as he cast about for something to do. What appeared to be a small leather bag at the far end of the fence got his attention. He took out his wand and waved it silently, summoning the bag to him.

The lid of the bag shifted slightly, and Desmond realized that the bag actually contained sugar lumps to feed the unicorns with. He smiled and held up a roughly shaped sugar cube. "I don't think the professor will mind the unicorns getting a few extra treats, long as I cast a refilling charm on the bag after we're done." He held out a cube and took one for himself, already deciding which one to feed first.

[MARILYN IRVETTE WHITBY]

Lynnie smiled slightly when he mentioned stick figurines. That was the extent of her drawing skills. Stick figures. She certainly wasn't going to win any awards for drawing any time soon. “Oh. Sure. Thanks.” Lynnie said, when Desmond told her she could look through the book. She gave him another smile just in case he thought she was being weird. “They don't?” She asked, flipping a page and looking at his drawings. “So... you saw them outside of Hogwarts?” How did one come across such creatures outside of Hogwarts? Traveling, Marilyn decided inside her head. The more exotic creatures certainly couldn't be seen in Hogwarts. Lynnie would very much like to see a Sphinx, but she thought she might just die before she even spoke to it.

She was still flipping through the notepad and admiring the drawings when Desmond summoned something over to him. Silently, she would add. Lynnie had no idea how to cast spells non verbally and she had tried many times. Sixth years were taught how to do so. She was only a fourth year. But practice made perfect, or so the saying went. What if you practiced the wrong thing? “I don't know how to do cast that spell.” Lynnie said. “I can't do non verbal spells too. All in due time, I guess.” The blonde said. She took the treat from Desmond before moving towards the unicorns. “Here, Gold, come get some!” Lynnie said, making up a name for the unicorns, holding out her arm with the sugar cube in the middle of her palm. “Do you have any pets?” Lynnie asked the boy, making random conversation.



273 words, tagged for desmond, wearing this